Ireland's Lost Angel
by LittleBlackStarz
Summary: Shannon Catherwood was a young girl from Ireland accepted at Hogwarts. But when she notices a young boy who seems to be hiding something, she searches for answers. Years later, she meets up with him again when she accepts a teaching job at Hogwarts. Wh
1. Default Chapter

Ireland's Lost Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except Shannon and her family...the rest are rightfully owned by JK. Rowling. Also, I'd like to note that I have NO idea what Lily Potters maiden name is...I don't know if its ever mentioned, but ya, I'm going to make up one and if anyone knows the real last name, please let me know. Thanks :)

Chapter 1: A Background

A light breeze shifted the hazy clouds overhead as Shannon took one last look at her home. The wind blew her long white blonde hair in wisps along her delicate face as she waved her mother and baby sister goodbye. Stepping into the passenger side of her father's small pick up truck, she took one last gaze at the Irish coast she adored. Her father was taking her to the train station where she would begin her ride to London, and then onto Hogwarts to learn to become a talented witch. Her father was a wizard, and a tired one at that. His tired eyes shone with pride as he glanced over at his anxious daughter who had inherited his gift. When Shannon had received her letter, her father had been so happy he had taken all the money they had in savings and gave it to her to use for supplies. Even though her father was a wizard, he hardly practiced the art and instead took up the life of a small farmer in a small community on the north west coast of Ireland. And now, roughly 12 years old, Shannon was leaving the home she had known all her life to begin a completely new one, in a place that was completely foreign to her. The tiny pickup truck took off down the dusty road and headed into the city. A few hours later, they pulled up into the train station and Shannon and her father got out to unload her bags. She opted only to bring a small suitcase of things, figuring she'd use the extra space for her new possessions earlier picked up at Diagon Alley. Her father walked her up to Platform 9 3/4, helping her push a small cart with her suitcase and a cage on it, encasing a small, snowhite owl. "This is where I leave you, Shannon," he said as he turned to face her, kneeling down so his face met hers. "All you have to do is walk into that wall right there, and you will be on the platform," he turned around to make sure no one was listening, then quickly turned back to face her, placing a small pouch in her hands. "Here is the money I brought for you, it should be more then enough to get everything you need." Shannon looked at her father and smiled. "I'll be just fine papa, you don't have to worry about me." With that she kissed him on the forehead and hugged him tightly, and began to walk towards the barrier. "Bye! I'll send you an owl when I get there! I love you!" She braced herself and jogged into the barrier, not stopping till she could see the big red and black train in plain view. "Wow," she muttered to herself as she gazed up at the huge train and at the enormous amount of people rushing around her. She rolled her cart up to a man who was placing luggage and animals into a compartment under the train and stepped up onto the train. Shannon walked down the hall, looking for a compartment to sit in. She finally found one, and noticed that one girl was sitting in it, gazing hazily out the window. "Excuse me? May I sit here?" Shannon asked as the girl turned and smiled. "Of course, sit down," The girl stretched out her hand to grasp Shannon's. "My name is Lily." she said simply.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Shannon," She said as she shook the girls hand and rested down into the seat. "Ooh, I'm so excited to be going to Hogwarts, I'm one of the first in my family to be attending there," Lily said as she glanced out the window. "Ya, my father went here, he was in Gryffindor..." she paused for a moment, thinking to herself, "I hope I make Gryffindor as well."

"Ya, that's what EVERYONE hopes for," Lily said with a laugh, "Gryffindor is the best, of course." Shannon laughed and smiled at her new friend. They sat and talked for hours before they finally arrived at the train station by Hogwarts. 

"First years, first years follow me," a scruffy looking man said as all the first year students scrambled off the train. Lily and Shannon walked with the rest of the students to the shore of a large lake. There were small rowboats attached to a deck right on the shore. The man who had lead them off the train was now instructing all of them to get inside a boat and to keep their limbs inside. When they were saftely in, the boats began to speed across the lake, apparently by magic. "Wow, they've enchanted the boats to get us across, how interesting," Lily asserted as she glanced up at the huge castle in front of them. Shannon could hardly believe her eyes. She had never seen anything more astoundingly beautiful as Hogwarts at night. The tall castle walls were lit up by various windows and enormous towers shot up from the center and the sides. The other students seemed to notice this as well, because all was silent as everyone gaped at the castle. The boats touched the shore and the man led them into the castle. The students were led into the castle, and up a staircase towards a pair of huge doors where a young woman wearing a green cloak and a witches hat awaited them. "Welcome first years!" her voice sprang up into the now gone silence. "In a moment I will lead you into the Great Hall, where you will be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slitherin. While you are here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points, any rule breaking, and you will lose points." With that, the woman left into the hall to announce the arrival of the new first years. "They're ready for you now," she said with a smile as she walked them into the Great Hall. Shannon, already shaking, was amazed the minute she set foot in the Great hall. There were four, long tables in the middle of the room with 3 tables at the head of the room in a U sort of shape. The walls shone with candlelight from what seemed to be a hundred candles floating above the room. The ceiling showed a cloudless sky, where the stars shone as bright as flashlights. The entire room was filled with warmth and comfort, and settled the unsettled stomachs of the scared newcomers. The students walked diligently up to the head of the room, facing the three teachers tables. "Wait along here please," the young woman who had led them inside gestured. "Now, when I call your name, you will come forth, I will place the sorting hat on your head, and you will sit down at your tables," she said once the noise had calmed down. "Lily Alyssono." Lily heard her name and realized she had been squeezing Shannon's hand. Letting go she took one more look at her friend and walked nervously up to the stool. Sitting down like she was told, Lily breathed in deeply as the hat was placed on her head. "Hmm...interesting, yes...right then...Gryffindor!" the hat yelled as Lily slid off the stool, relieved beyond belief. She ran over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. The young woman picked up the list again and named off the next student. "Shannon Catherwood." Shannon walked quickly up to the stool and sat down, watching the other students grow paler at the thought of where they were going to be placed. She felt the hat on her head and heard it begin to speak. "Mmm...I like this one, yes...great mind, definitely lots of courage...I'd say...Gryffindor!" The crowd roared as Shannon stepped off the stool and ran to sit next to Lily. "Yay! I'm so happy for you!" Lily congratulated Shannon as she sat. Picking up her list yet again, the young woman spoke another name. "James Potter." A tall, skinny boy with wild brown hair and small glasses walked up to the stool and sat. "Oh my...quite interesting...yes...mmm...where to put you...excellent mind of course...Slitherin would be good...but I think...Gryffindor!" Again, the crowd roared and the lanky young boy came and sat next to Shannon. The crowd quieted down again, and the next name was called. "Severus Snape." Shannon noticed a tall boy with shoulder length black hair step up to the stool and take a seat. Even before the hat fully touched his head, it screamed "Slitherin!" The boy, obviously pleased with his results, began to walk to the Slitherin table. As he was walking, he glanced over at Shannon, and their eyes met. She could've sworn she saw a hint of a smile on his lips before he turned away sharply and sat down. Lily, noticing this, turned to Shannon. "Did you see him look at you? How weird..."

"Ya, I noticed...I wonder what he's hiding."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing...its just something in his eyes...I couldn't tear away from them..." Shannon wearily looked at the boy next to her, who was obviously intent on introducing himself before the feast was over. "Hello, I'm Shannon," she said, noticing him staring at her and Lily. "I'm James, and, you are?" he said, looking at Lily. "Oh, my names Lily, nice to meet you," she said, looking back towards the head table where headmaster Dumbledore was about to announce the start of year notices. 

After the feast, Shannon, Lily, and James headed off to the Gryffindor common room with the Gryffindor Prefect and the rest of the Gryffindor students. "This is the entrance hall to the common room," the Prefect said as he turned towards a large painting of a very large woman and spoke the password. "Drainus Morales," he said simply and the woman in the painting smiled as it flung open, revealing a long passageway. "C'mon now, follow me Gryffindors."

The students poured into the common room and gazed around. It was a fairly large room, with a big fireplace and about 3 couches and arm chairs surrounding it. The walls were covered in paintings that moved and spoke, and at the moment some seemed to be sleeping. There were bookshelves on the right hand side and a few arm chairs scattered about near them. A large staircase stood opposite the door and led up into the tall dormitory tower. Worn out from the days excitement, Shannon decided to head up to bed. Lily followed her, and they got themselves situated in the girls dorm. "Goodnight Lily," Shannon whispered as she laid down in her bed under the covers. "'Night Shannon."

'Wow' Shannon thought, 'First day and I already have a new best friend and many other friends, this year is going to be lots of fun.' And with that, she let herself drift into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, Shannon and Lily rushed into the Great hall for breakfast and to receive their schedules for their classes. "Hey look, we've got double potions with Slitherin, how interesting," Lily said, showing Shannon the schedule. "Yea, sounds fun...I hope..." Shannon said with a bleak smile. When they had arrived in their potions class, Shannon and Lily choked on the musty smell of dust and aged parchments. They quickly took a seat at one of the tables and looked around nervously at the classroom. The class was located in the dungeons, and was noticeably colder and darker then the rest of the castle. The walls were adorned with shelves filled with bottles and jars concealing frogs, newts eyes, etc. A desk covered in parchments and potion bottles sat at the front of the class, and seated at the desk was a worn out looking old man. His hair, or what was left of it, was pale gray, and his face reeked of a hard life. He stood up in front of the class and waited for everyone to be seated. Shannon began glancing over at the slitherins, and saw one she recognized. "Hey," she whispered to Lily, "there's that boy who looked at me yesterday..." Lily glanced over and sure enough, the young boy sat at a table next to theirs on the other side of a narrow isle. The boy turned and noticed them staring at him, and quickly smirked and glanced back up at the professor. "Welcome to potions 1 first years, Slitherin and Gryffindor, I trust this will be a strong class," the Professor said quietly. "Now, for your first assignment, I'm going to pair everyone up with someone from the opposite house, and I'm going to administer a small, easy to make potion. The list of ingredients is simple, and you will notice that they are already placed on the desks." The students glared around nervously, wondering who they were going to have to be paired with. The professor walked over to the first pair of tables and paired students up. He then went to the second table, and then on to the third. When he reached the table Shannon and Lily were sitting at, he pointed at Shannon and then pointed at the boy who she was all too familiar with. When she realized who she was paired with, she felt a stab of fear in her stomach as she watched him come over and sit next to her. He didn't speak or even look at her, instead he glared at the ingredients before him which were going to be used in the potion. Shannon looked over and saw that Lily was paired with some girl she didn't know. She shot Lily a nervous glance and Lily smiled and shrugged at her. Sighing heavily, Shannon looked back up to the professor for further instruction. "Now, I want you all to check the list in front of you and make sure that all the ingredients listed are in front of you. When you have done that, begin following the instructions on the parchment. When you have finished the potion, raise your hand and I will come over and check it. This potion is a truth potion, and is easy to make and hard to mess up, so I trust you will all try your hardest anyway. Begin."

Shannon looked over at the boy and studied his face. He had a hooked nose and dark, dark black eyes. His hair hung over his face, pitch black like the night sky. He obviously sensed her staring at him, and looked up from mixing the potion. Their eyes met again, but this time for longer. "I...I...oh watch out!" Shannon had begun to say while the boy had splashed some of the potion onto the table and onto the list of ingredients. "Ugh," he stated as he stood up and pulled out his wand. He said a simple clean up charm and the potion was back into the cauldron. He sat again and looked at her once more. "Thanks," was all he said. The bell rang and the students gathered their things and strode out of the classroom and into the halls of the castle. "Hey! Shannon! Over here!" Lily sang as she ran up to Shannon, grabbing her arm. "So? How'd it go with Mr. Mysterious?"

"Oh..nothing really, the only word I heard him say was Thanks...he looked me in the eyes though, and its like I could read straight through him. There's a lot of pain in him, a lot of hurt caused by something, he seems very misunderstood...if only I knew his name." Lily thought for a moment. "Wait..remember at the sorting ceremony? He went up when the name Severus Snape was called, that must be him!" Shannon remembered clearly now and looked at her friend. "I want to get to know him better, something about him...ugh I can't place my finger on it but I know something is going on." 

That day at lunch, Lily and Shannon ran into James, who had been walking towards the Great Hall with two other boys. One of them had a rather sunken face with matted black hair. Shannon couldn't see his eyes, for he was hiding them under his hair. The second boy had light brown hair and was happily chatting with James. All three of the boys were about the same height, and wore identical robes. "Hey James!" Lily chimed in while Shannon waved silently at them. James introduced his two friends as Sirius and Remus, two other first years. "Nice to meet you," Shannon said precariously. She gazed over James shoulder and saw the boy with the black as night eyes walking down the hall. She never shifted her gaze and stared at him, trying to see if he would do something that might give a clue as to what he so carefully hid. Sirius had noticed her staring at the boy, and turned around quickly to see him walking speedily by them. Sirius turned back to Shannon, and whispered something in her ear. "His name is Severus, I'd watch out for him...he's nothing but trouble." And with that, Sirius turned away and nudged the boy named Remus, suggesting he wanted to leave. James waved goodbye and ran after them. "What did that boy tell you?" Lily asked Shannon. "He said that the one boy, the one with the jet black hair and piercing black eyes...well, he said that he's trouble, and that I should keep away from him."

"Weird...wonder what he means by that," Lily answered, staring off down the hall to see James and the two boys turn the corner, laughing. 

The rest of the year flew by, and Shannon had taken Sirius' warning and stayed away from Severus. The only time she saw him was at meals and during potions, when he sat quietly alone. Her curiosity never faltered, it lurked in the back of her mind and seemed to ache. 'What is up with that boy...' she found herself asking on occasion. 

Again, the years went on, until all 7 of Shannon's years at Hogwarts had been completed. Lily and James had become very close, and were planning on getting married the coming year. Shannon of course, was delighted for her friends, and knew they would be good together. As she climbed on the train to head back to London, Shannon couldn't help but feel that she would somehow encounter the school again, as well as encounter the strange boy who haunted her all through her years at Hogwarts. 


	2. Horrible News

Chapter 2: Horrible News

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except Shannon and her family...the rest are rightfully owned by JK. Rowling. Also, if I get any important information wrong and someone notices it, just eMail me and I'll fix it, as long as it doesn't drastically change the storyline, then I'd have to change the whole thing...so ya :)

Shannon felt the light of the morning sun stream along her face and slowly opened her bright gray green eyes. She heard the faint chirping of small birds as they fluttered about in the tree outside her bedroom window. The morning mist lingered outside and covered the grass with a misty dew. Yawning and stretching her arms over her head, Shannon sat up and gazed lazily outside. 'Beautiful day' she thought to herself as she stood up and walked over to her vanity table. She looked at her reflection in the mirror that hung over the table and picked up a small brush that lay among other small brushes and makeup cases. Combing through her long, white blonde hair, she thought about what she needed to buy today at the market. 'Flour, sugar, salt..' she was naming off when she heard a knock at the door. Her mothers head poked in and smiled softly as she spoke. "Breakfast is ready Shannon," she said and walked out. Shannon smiled at the thought of food as her stomach grumbled hungrily. Setting down the brush, she walked out of her room and into the kitchen to eat breakfast. "I'm leaving to go to the market in a bit to pick up some things," Shannon said as she sat down. "Yes, we definitely need to stock up for the dinner in a few days," her mother said, winking at her drowsy daughter. Shannon ate hurriedly and rushed into the bathroom to take a quick shower. She stepped in and felt the steaming hot water flow down her body, indulging for a quick moment before washing her hair. She rushed out and dried herself off and got dressed, barely having time to dry her hair. Shannon grabbed a small purse with coins in it and jogged out of the house, kissing her mother on the cheek. She picked up a basket on the front porch and began to make the mile long walk to the market. While she was walking, Shannon pretended she was flying, soaring high above the trees on her broomstick. She wasn't allowed to fly outside of the magic world, or do any magic at all. So she was stuck pretending, acting like a little girl once again, jogging down the dirt road in her white cotton dress and silky long hair flowing behind her back. It had been 11 years since her last year at Hogwarts, but her memories of the school were far but lost. She still remembered every crack in the walls and where every classroom was located. She even remembered Severus, the boy with the pitch black eyes. Shannon had kept in close touch with her friends Lily and James, who were now happily married with a baby boy they named Harry. She was now heading into town, to buy things to help her mother bake for a large dinner they were preparing for a visit from Lily and James. When she reached the marketplace, she noticed all of the witches and wizards she knew to be around where she lived acting very strangely. A woman she knew ran up to her and was crying, shaking the newspaper in Shannon's face. "What? What happened?" she asked worriedly. She took the newspaper from the woman who was now kind of of gaining back her composure and read the headline and felt a stab of pain in her side. 

Voldemort Strikes Again in London, Killing Two

The young couple was killed in their home just last 

night by what is now known to 

be the work of Voldemort. The two people have been 

identified as **Lily and James Potter**, 

a successful wizard and witch who graduated from Hogwarts 

just a decade ago. They left 

behind a baby boy, who miraculously came out of the ordeal with 

nothing more then a scar. No 

clues have been found as to how the boy survived. He is now 

being placed into foster care.

Shannon clutched her side and struggled to comprehend what had happened. Her best friend and her husband, gone, just like that. Shannon sat down on a small bench and blocked out all sound around her, only hearing her rapid breathing and heart beating steadily faster. She thought of her friends, but then recalled something else she'd read in the article. 'Their baby, Harry, he's alive!' she thought with an almost sigh of relief that at least the baby was still alive. 'But oh...oh god Lily, James...' she thought to herself again, a wave of sadness sweeping over her. She picked up her basket and walked back to her house, to find it was empty. Her mother and father and sister must be out in the fields, she thought to herself as she began writing up a note. She decided she had to go to London. Though she didn't know why, something was calling her there, something important. She had to go. When she finished the note she read over it, her hand shaking uncontrollably.

__

Mum, Papa, and Heidi,

I've heard some horrible news, you can read it in this newspaper next to this note. 

I must go to London right away, something in my heart is telling me to go there, 

I don't know what but I must. I'm sorry, I will send you an owl when I get there. 

Much Love, Shannon

She placed the note next to the newspaper showcasing the article about Lily and James. She ran into her room and packed her suitcase and grabbed her broomstick. It was a long way to the train station, but Shannon knew of a small bus that would be able to take her directly there. So she hurried out the door, slamming it behind her and running off into town to catch the next bus.


	3. A New Teacher

Chapter 3- A New Teacher

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except Shannon and her family...the rest are rightfully owned by JK. Rowling. Also, if I get any important information wrong and someone notices it, just eMail me and I'll fix it, as long as it doesn't drastically change the storyline, then I'd have to change the whole thing...so ya :)

When Shannon reached London, she stepped off the train and ran straight to Platform 9 3/4. She had been thinking of what she could do while on the train to London, and she had decided to go to Hogwarts and talk to Dumbledore about it. He was like her second father, and she knew him very well. Her father and he were very good friends. She paid for a ticket and climbed onto the train, hoping that it would take off soon. She sat down in one of the empty booths and looked sadly out of the window. A voice behind her made her jump, and she looked over to see an average height woman with grayish brown hair and a worried look on her face. Shannon quickly recognized her as Professor McGonagall, the transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts. "Professor McGonagall please come in, and please do tell me what you've heard of Harry Potter?" Minerva sat down across from Shannon, and looked sadly out the window. "He has been taken to his aunt and uncles house in the muggle world," she said as she looked over at Shannon and sadly realized who she was. "Oh, Miss. Catherwood...Lily was your best friend, I'm so sorry..." Shannon looked down at her hands and noticed she had been picking apart her ticket stub. "It's alright...I came all the way from Ireland right when I heard the news."

Professor McGonagall got up and sat next to Shannon, hugging her tight and then pulling out a small glass ball. She rolled it in her hand and said a few words, an enchantment, Shannon realized, and the ball began to glow. A small, moving picture appeared on it and a baby's face came into view. Shannon recognized the baby as Harry, Lily and James' son. "This is the only way we can watch him, those people Dumbledore left him with are the worst kind of muggles imaginable...they despise anything having to do with magic, I'm afraid." Professor Mcgonagall said as she watched Shannon gaze into the globe longingly. "That poor little boy, he has so much to carry on his shoulders...do you think they will tell him of his gift? of his parents?" she asked the professor, gazing up from the ball at last. "I doubt it, I really, really doubt it," she said quietly. The rest of the train ride flew past, and Shannon and Minerva talked about old times at Hogwarts and things Lily and James used to do and how much they wished Harry could lead a better life. Though they found they couldn't bear to mention Voldemort, for his name was painful to hurt ears. Though the question ached in the back of everyone's minds following the incident: Why hadn't Voldemort killed Harry? 

~*~

"You know," Professor McGonagall said as they stepped off the train, "There is an opening for the Divination job this year, that is if your interested. I know you've researched the subject and practice it from time to time."

"Yea...maybe I'll look into it, I think I do want to stay, I want to help out as much as possible," she paused, thinking to herself, "for Lily." They began to walk up to the castle, both thinking to themselves. When they arrived, they rushed straight to Dumbledore to ask about the job and to ask if anymore information had been found out about Voldemort. "Good evening, Professor Dumbledore," Shannon said, smiling for a second when she saw the warm face of her fathers old friend. "Good evening Shannon," he said happily, hugging her. "Your father is doing well I hope?"

"Yes, he's doing well," Shannon said quickly, then turned to sit down in an old arm chair by Dumbledore's desk. "I was wondering, well, you see, I've been thinking of staying here, in England that is, to offer as much help as I can to catching You-Know-Who...and well, Minerva has told me you have a job opening here and I was wondering if I could fill the job. I don't have anywhere else to stay and I kind of rushed out without much money, leaving Ireland was a hard thing to do, but something was calling me here, I think I'm destined to help." Professor Dumbledore smiled and gazed over at Shannon, remembering how good a student she was and recalling that she attended a college to major in Divination and Arithmacy. "Yes, Shannon, you are most welcome here, and as for the job, I think your the perfect person to fill it." Shannon smiled and looked up at Minerva, who was smiling for the first time as well. Her face turned gloomy again and Shannon understood why. "Professor, I was also wondering if you could tell me what you know about You-Know-Who, and if I could help in any way?"

"Oh, my dear Shannon, you see, You-Know-Who has vanished, no one knows where he is. Your help is much welcome, and I think the best way you can help is to work here and maybe see if you can use Divination to find out where he is, I do not know how well our magic will work, but it is worth a try."

~*~

That night, Shannon was shown to her new room by some house elves, and put her suitcase on the bed and rushed out. She went down to the owlry to send an owl to her parents, telling them she was staying in England to help find Voldemort and to teach a Divinations class. She then headed back to her room to go to sleep, she hadn't had any rest all day and was practically falling asleep while walking. When she reached her room, she got dressed in night clothes and climbed into bed, drifting off to sleep, tears staining her delicate face.

The next morning she awoke to the feel of the warm sunshine on her face. Almost forgetting where she was, she jumped out of bed and took a shower. When she was ready, she walked down to the room where the teachers were having breakfast. School was to start the next day and Shannon was a nervous wreck. She'd never taught anything before, and even though she was sure it wouldn't be a problem, she still had butterflies in her stomach. She opened the door to the large room and noticed most of the teachers were there, and most of them she remembered from her time there as a student. She sat down next to Minerva and shook the hands of a few of the teachers and waved to others she couldn't reach. Shannon was almost feeling completely confident with herself and the staff when the door flew open and the last of the teachers strode in. She looked over her shoulder and saw something that twisted her stomach in a knot and made her almost choke on the water she had been drinking. Shannon had recognized him immediately, who could forget jet black hair and pitch dark eyes, that stern face and hooked nose that screamed stay out of my way. It was Severus, the boy she had been curious about all her school years. He saw her and their eyes met again, and he quickly sneered at her and looked away. He took a seat a few chairs down from her. 'Oh my gods, what is he doing her? My intuition was right, I knew I'd see him again, oh gods...oh gods why?' she thought to herself as she gave a scared look at Minerva, who, clueless about what was going on, eyed her strangely and whispered in her ear to tell her after breakfast. While they ate, Shannon tried to ignore the fact that he was sitting there, eating in the same room just like old times, and instead focused on her classes the next day. After breakfast, Shannon grabbed Minerva's arm and ran out of the room to tell her what was wrong. "You know that guy? The one with the black hair?" Shannon asked Minerva. "Yes, that's Professor Snape, he teaches potions here, why?" Minerva replied.

"Well, when I attended this school we caught eye contact the first day and it was like something went off...I felt like I had to know what this guy was hiding, it was almost as if I could see the pain in his eyes..." Shannon paused, looking for Minerva's reaction. "Yes, well...he started teaching here a few years ago, he's not that nice of a guy on the outside, but I'm sure if you got to know him...that is if that's possible, he's pretty bottled up if you ask me, very cold...he's been through a lot," Minerva said quietly. Shannon looked over Minerva's shoulder and saw Severus walk out of the room and stride down the halls towards the dungeons. "Where is his classroom?" she asked Minerva, thinking that she might be able to go and introduce herself. "It's in the dungeons," Minerva replied as she watched Shannon thank her and run off down the corridor to follow Severus. "Oh my, puppy love..." Minerva said to herself as she started giggling and headed off to her classroom. 

Shannon walked quickly after Severus, when she turned a corner and saw him walking down the long hallway. "Excuse me!" she called out, not sure what she was going to say to him. He turned sharply and gazed at her with his dark eyes. "I...I'm sorry for disturbing you...its just that...well...I wanted to introduce myself." Shannon said when she was finally in front of him. He looked less frightening up close, and his face was really pale but handsome at the same time. She looked into his eyes again and saw that he was staring coldly into hers. "My name is Shannon, Shannon Catherwood, I'm the new Divinations teacher," she said finally. "Pleasure," he said simply, his voice deep and like silk as it slid smoothly through her ears. He pivoted on one heel and began walking down the corridor again. "Severus, please don't..." she called out, watching as he stopped suddenly, then turned around slowly to face her. She hadn't moved, but was still standing where she was before, about 20 feet away from where he was now. "Severus...I...I don't know if you remember me, but ever since I saw you that first day at Hogwarts I couldn't help but feel I needed to get to know you..." He was now looking at her with a hint of sadness on his face, but quickly turned his eyes cold. "I do not remember you, sorry," he said after a long pause, and then turned to begin walking away again. Shannon found that she couldn't move, she was stuck there, staring off down the corridor at his flowing black robes as he slipped away from her grasp yet again. That night she stood by the window, talking to an imaginary Lily. "Oh Lily, I miss you, I wish you were here now, to see me...I've gotten a job here, and Severus is here...you remember Severus..." Shannon looked up at the starry sky and let the tears she'd hid from Severus and the staff fall.

~*~

The next morning, Shannon walked into her new classroom to begin setting up for her students the next day. Today was the day that all of them would be arriving at the school, and every teacher was bustling about, full of excitement. Straightening the last desk, Shannon looked proudly at her classroom. It was full of light and filled with mystical items used for divination. She planned to make her class a fun one, one that students would really enjoy. As she stood there, she remembered what Severus had said. 'He said he didn't remember me...I wonder if that's true...' She gazed at the door, contemplating whether she should go visit him again or not. She decided to go talk to Dumbledore about it, he always made her feel better. She set off down the stairs leading up to her classroom and headed down the corridor to Dumbledore's office. She turned a corner sharply and felt herself be shoved to the ground, and felt someone fall on top of her. She opened her eyes and saw that the person she had run into was Severus. He looked embarrassed, if that is possible, but all he could do was stare into her eyes. She found herself staring into his as well, and found herself well with emotions. 'What's happening? Why can't I speak? I feel like I'm frozen within his gaze...' she thought to herself as she got lost in his eyes. He finally realized what was happening, and blinked out of the trance he was in. Getting up, he held out his hand to help her. "I'm sorry, I should have watched where I was going," he said harshly, making it sound like her fault even though he hadn't said it was, and took off down the corridor, heading towards the dungeons. Shaken up and trying to understand what just happened, Shannon leaned against the cold stone wall and listened to her heart beat rapidly.

She approached the huge gargoyle in the long corridor and spoke the password. Watching silently as the gargoyle lifted up and steps formed beneath it, Shannon began to take a step forward, climbing up the stairs. Reaching the door at the top, she knocked lightly and heard Dumbledore's muffled voice call her in. She stepped in and saw that he was stuffing his face with lemon drops, hence why his voice was muffled. Laughing quietly, she stepped up to him while he swallowed the one he had been chewing. "Ah hello Shannon, what can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you could tell me anything about Severus Snape," she said contently.

"Ah yes, my old friend, poor boy has been through a lot.."

"Yes, Minerva told me that as well...mind if I ask what he's been through exactly?"

"Shannon, I would tell you but I would be giving away the biggest secrets that man has left, that is all he has now, I'm afraid if you want to know, you will have to ask him." He smiled and winked at her, making her feel uneasy about the thought of looking at Severus again.

"He would never tell me...I think he despises me greatly.." Shannon looked at the old wizard, watching his baby blue eyes glitter happily.

"He is very closed up, he would never show it, but he hurts inside. The only way you could get an answer out of him would be to get close to him, but that my dear is a very hard task, in fact, no ones ever attempted. Severus Snape has made himself untouchable because of his past."

With that Dumbledore got up and stood facing Shannon, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I trust you to know what is best, you are both hurting...you because of the loss of your best friend, and he because his past still haunts him. I think the only way for you to heal your own pain and to help him too, would be to attempt at befriending him, maybe even loving him. That is all I can tell you, my dear." he said and smiled at her, his blue eyes sparkling. "There might be a reason you feel like you were sent here, a reason why you can't stop letting his memory haunt you, maybe you should check your sources and decide for yourself."

* * * *

The sorting ceremony went off without a hitch, but Shannon couldn't stop thinking about what the old wizard had said. 'Am I supposed to help him? Is that why I was sent here? Not because of Lily but because he was here?' Her troublesome thoughts followed her into the evening, when she went up into her classroom in the North West tower and walked out onto the roof to sit and think. It fastly became her favorite spot to be alone, and she found she could relax when she was there. Shannon looked up at the sky, searching through the bright stars and the heavens for answers. Spotting the moon slowly rising in the east, she turned to face it, staring at it with her head rested on her knees. Curiosity flowing within her, she decided to go search for answers as to why she was brought here. She stepped back into her classroom and lit up a few candles with a wave of her wand. She headed towards her huge bookshelf containing books on various divinations and pulled out one she came upon that seemed fit. It was titled Meanings Unknown, and was a thick book she had picked up in Diagon alley a few years before. Setting it down with a heavy thud on her desk, she began to flip through it, searching for what she wanted. "Ah, here we go..." she said to herself as she came upon a page that read: _Discovering- Questions Unanswered_. Gazing quickly at the page, she found a simple herb divination she could do to hopefully discover why she had been drawn to Hogwarts. She walked over to the cabinet by her desk and pulled out two small bottles, each containing a different kind of herb. Walking back, she placed the bottles down gently and sat down in her chair, the book open next to her. Reading carefully, she reached into one of the drawers in her desk and pulled out a white candle, and set it on the table and lit it. Taking one of the bottles, she sprinkled some of it around the candle. She then took the other bottle and reached in and gently pulled out a Fig leaf. Placing it near the candle, she pulled out her quill and wrote a tiny question on the leaf. _Was I drawn to Hogwarts because of Lily's death or Severus' pain?_ She then placed the leaf over the candle's flame and began whispering a repetitive enchantment. _Dorith habith reconcealant...Dorith habith reconcealant...Dorith habith reconcealant..._

After the third time she spoke the words softly, her words on the leaf had begun to fade and an answer appeared in its place. Reading the words, Shannon felt a sting in her stomach and became dizzy, dropping the leaf. Her hands cupping her mouth and read the words again and again, in utter disbelief. _The dark one holds the call in his clandestine_ _mirth. _Severus was her reason for coming back.

* * * * 

Unable to sleep and feeling sick to her stomach, Shannon tossed and turned the whole night. When the sun finally rose and she had just fallen asleep, she was forced to awake to take a shower. Moaning unhappily, she stumbled out of bed and took a shower, the thought of what she had discovered the night before still lurking in her mind. 

When she arrived at breakfast in the Great Hall, the students were bustling about in excitement. Today was the first day of the new and hopefully good year. Shannon sat down at her seat at the staff table and noticed Severus busying himself with buttering toast. She'd decided not to mention what she discovered to anyone except Albus. He was the only person she could trust with information like that. But then again, she thought, he probably already knew. That thought stung like a headache in her mind when she thought about how Albus always seemed to know everything, and yet always led people to discover it for themselves. 'He must know about Severus' pain and need, and about mine as well' she thought, looking over at Albus as he talked to Minerva, laughing happily at most likely a joke he told himself. There were still questions that were unanswered, but Shannon knew the only way to discover them was through Severus himself, and that road was too difficult to get by. 

Classes started and Shannon watched as the students came laughing into the room, chatting with their friends, exited to be starting the day with Divinations. They took their seats and looked up at Shannon who was sitting at the head of the room on her desk. "Welcome to Divinations 1 first years!" she said proudly, watching them beam. "In this class we cover the basic methods of divination, which is the art or act of foretelling future events. You will each receive your own pack of tarot cards, and I trust you all brought your book entitled Divinations: Art of Foretelling with you today, as we will be using it." She gazed around the classroom, watching the students pull their books out and sit quietly for her to begin again. "I'm going to take roll quickly, and then we shall begin." Shannon began naming off the students, and watched as each student rose their hand to signal that they were present. Trying to memorize faces, which she was naturally good at, Shannon placed her roll book down when the last name was called. Reaching into a cupboard, she pulled out a fairly large box and set it on her desk. She opened it and pulled out a stack of tarot card sets. "Here are your tarot cards, make sure not to lose them because I cannot supply you with another set, you'd have to go buy that yourself," she said winking. 

Classes ended and lunch began, then more classes and then dinner, and so on until the day was over and the students were sent to their common rooms. Shannon was in her classroom tidying up before heading to bed when she heard her door open. She turned and felt dizzy again when she saw Severus standing in the doorway. He shifted his weight and winced in pain, and finally spoke. "I...," he cleared his throat roughly, "I was wondering if..." he paused again, "never mind," he said finally and then he turned quickly and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Shannon stood alone and stunned by her desk, wondering what just happened. She suddenly felt the dizziness sweep over her and she stumbled onto her desk. She knew she had to talk to him, he obviously wanted to talk to her as well. 

* * * *

A week went by before Shannon got the courage to ask him what he wanted to ask her. When she got the courage, she strutted down to the dungeons without looking back and stopped at the door to the classroom. Hesitating a bit, she straightened her posture and tried to fix her hair, which was pulled back in a loose pony tail. She knocked lightly on the door, and when she heard him curtly say 'enter', walked in and slowly shut the door. Severus was bending over a cauldron, not paying attention to who had entered. The few candles lit in the room bounced off his long black hair and made his face look dark. Shannon swallowed and took a deep breath, then stepped into the light, and into his view. He looked up and for a flicker of a second thought she saw relief in his eyes. But that went away as fast as it had come, and he put back on his cold mask. "Hello, Professor Catherwood," he said, stepping away from his cauldron. "What do you need?" The coldness was back in his voice. "I wanted to know what you wanted to tell me last week," she said calmly, looking into his eyes. She saw him flinch, and he stared at the floor. "Oh...I just wanted to ask you if you had a certain book, but I changed my mind," he said sternly. Shannon looked at him skeptically. "Severus, I don't think that was it..." Shannon stepped closer to him. He winced and sighed loudly. "Just...leave, will you?" he said so sharply it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand. She looked at him with sadness in her eyes and walked out of the dungeons, leaving a broken man behind her. 

* * * *

He couldn't remember when the pain had started, because it had never seemed to end. Severus hunched over his armchair in his bedroom wincing in pain. He was clutching his arm tightly, knowing he was being summoned. As much as he tried to ignore the pain, it got the best of him and he got up and put on his cloak. He stopped in Dumbledores office and told him he was being summoned, again. Albus wished him the best of luck and saw him leave the room, then apparate out of the castle. 

Severus apparated into a large graveyard near London. The deatheaters meeting was to be held there, and a special ceremony was to go on. Severus walked over to his friend, Lucius Malfoy, who had already arrived and was standing around gathering everyone at the table to await Voldemort. "Ah, Severus," Lucius said when Severus stood next to him. "What's this ceremony about, Lucius?" Severus asked, hoping it was sacrificial, and also silently pleading he would die. "I'm not sure," Malfoy replied, staring at the long table and the many deatheaters sitting at it. "Why don't we go take our places? Our lord will be arriving shortly," Malfoy stated, motioning Severus to lead the way. Right when they took their seats at the head of the table, a loud flash disrupted the chatter of nervous deatheaters and a dark figure wearing a hooded robe appeared at the head of the table. It was Voldemort. "Ah...my servants and deatheaters, welcome yet again." Voldemort lifted his hood off revealing a pale face with squinted eyes and a flat nose which formed two large slits. "What news have you of the Auror's knowledge of our plan, Malfoy?" Voldemort snapped. Malfoy shuddered then looked confidently at Voldemort. "They have no idea, my lord, they are completely ignorant of the plan." Voldemort smiled, if it was possible to call it a smile, and turned to Severus. "What news have you of Dumbledore? Does he suspect?" Severus looked up with an emotionless face. "No, my lord, he suspects nothing." Voldemort looked pleased, before he called on another man. Severus was unfamiliar with the man, but he knew he was in charge of the entire plan, and therefore carried the largest load. "How far are you along?" Voldemort asked the man. "Um...well you see my lord, we have not been able to begin the second stage because the media is focused on our target, Harry Potter..." The man gulped. Voldemorts eyes became mere slits and he yelled the crucio curse at the man. The man screamed in agony and Voldemort began to speak. "The second stage WILL begin immediately!" With that he yelled out the crucio curse again, this time at every man sitting at the table. Severus hoped it would kill him this time, he'd felt the pain all too often. 

Later on that evening, Severus apparated into Dumbledores office, crouched over in pain. Dumbledore rushed to his side and lifted him up into an armchair. "Severus, Severus can you hear me?" he asked worriedly, even though he'd seen far worse then this. "Yes, sir..." Severus gasped, clutching his arm. "Any important information, Severus?" Albus asked when Severus had calmed down. "Not really, except that they haven't begun the second stage, which is to get to Harry Potter...Sir, Voldemort clearly wants this boy dead!" Dumbledore shifted in his seat, his hand stroking his beard, as he always did when thinking. "I think you should go get some rest now, Severus, thank you for the information." he smiled and watched Severus apparate out of the room and into his own chambers. The pain was starting to get the best of him, and the blackness on his arm was beginning to take him over once again. He had begun to sink deeper and deeper into a dark whole, one that was suicidal as well as violent. Stepping into the shower, Severus washed away the dried blood that covered most of his body, and in his mind, washed away the hatred Voldemort had placed onto his arm. 

* * * *

Dumbledore called Shannon into his office after breakfast the following morning, a Saturday. Dutifully, she walked in and sat down in an aged arm chair. "You needed to see me?" Dumbledore smiled and sat down next to her. "Yes, my dear, I need your help.." Shannon looked up at him, thinking it was something about Lily's death. Finally, he spoke again. "I have a spy who is part of the Deatheaters and telling me the information he gathers, but lately, he has been feeling more and more pain, and this pain isn't just the pain caused by Voldemort. This pain is caused by emptiness, a deep void that needs to be filled again," he paused, his blue eyes sparkling and yet remaining serious. "Shannon, I want you to fill that void, and heal that pain." Shannon stared at him, then asked him who it was, this spy of his. "Severus," Dumbledore said simply. Suddenly, she felt like it made sense. Severus was in pain and he must have wished for someone to help him, not paying attention to it. When a wizard wished something from the deepest corner in his heart and desperately needed it, it usually came true. Half the time, to the utter surprise of the wizard. "So...I have to help...Severus?" she practically murmered the last word, as if it was foreign to her tongue. "Yes, because you see, Severus wished for you, so you are meant to help him."

Shannon felt nauseated and stood up, walking towards the window. How was she to get so close to a man who wanted her so far away...she wondered. She couldn't bear the thought of anyone in pain, and if she was meant to heal and love, then why not with Severus. He was human after all...just deep in his own cold world. 'I'll have to change that," she thought to herself. "Alright...I'll help him," Shannon said, close to a whisper. Dumbledore almost lept out of his seat, that is, if he could've, and walked over to her. "Thank you, Shannon." 

He had told her he could not help her try to help Severus, but that she had to do it on her own. "It's best that way, my dear," he had said. So now Shannon was on her way to the dungeons, where she hoped to find Snape. She had no idea how she could get close enough to him to help him, to fill the void, but she had to give it a shot. Afterall, Dumbledore trusted her to help this broken potions master. She opened the door to the dungeons and saw Severus sitting at his desk, trying to mix a potion and clutching his arm. Shannon saw him wincing in pain and her heart went out to him. "Severus?" she called, watching him look up suddenly. He obviously hadn't heard her come in. "Shannon, please leave." he said sternly, straightening his back still clutching his arm. "Severus, I won't leave," she said forcefully as she walked up to him. He was about 7 inches taller then her and she noted how she had to crane her neck to meet his eyes. "I'm not leaving," she said again as she stood her ground. 'Gosh,' she thought, 'he is handsome up close...at least if he brushed his hair back a bit..' She shook away the thought and looked at his eyes, which were filled with bewilderment. "Why do you want to stay?" he said finally, his voice stiff. "I want to help you," she said quietly but still forcefully as she reached up to touch his face with her hand. He felt her soft skin on his cheek and closed his eyes, taking in the warmness it spread. He then quickly backed away, letting her hand fall from his face. "I don't need help, Shannon," he said, glaring into her warm gray green eyes. He looked away and went back to stirring his potion, which she realized to be a pain killing potion. His back facing her, he closed his eyes, fighting back the pain and urge he had to sweep her off her feet. Shannon sighed quietly an didn't know what to say. This man refused her help, she knew it would be hard, but hadn't expected that. She could feel his pain when she touched him, she could see it in his eyes, and it was magnified by hundreds from when he was younger. 


End file.
